Maine victim says she fears escaped N.H. prisoner

CONCORD, N.H. — A burglary suspect who escaped from a New Hampshire jail five days ago and has vowed revenge on two people in Maine is “not Houdini” and will be caught, a U.S. marshal said Tuesday.

David Glenn Hobson escaped from an Ossipee, N.H., jail on Dec. 1 by scaling a razor-wire fence in the recreation yard, authorities said. Police believe he has a gun and appears to hold a grudge against two people with whom he once had a personal relationship.

U.S. Marshal Noel March said the two are aware of the threats and are “in a safe place.” Hobson, 33, whose criminal record includes a series of burglary convictions, isn’t going after past victims, March said.

But one of those burglary victims says she has lived in fear of Hobson since he ransacked her home several times in 2005 looking for pain medication she takes for a disability. Hobson pleaded guilty in 2006 to more than a dozen burglaries, including one at the home of Lynne Mansur of Alfred, Maine.

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Mansur told the Associated Press on Tuesday that the most valuable thing Hobson stole from her was her sense of security.

“I’m scared and shaking and sleeping with all sorts of things around me,” Mansur said, adding that she keeps knives, tear gas and an air horn near her bed. “I’m really thinking I just need to leave my house, and that’s not right.”

Mansur said she has been reassured by authorities that she’s not one of the people Hobson is after. She was contacted by a victim advocate for the York County District Attorney’s office soon after Hobson’s escape.

March vowed that Hobson would be caught but that law enforcement officials would prefer he turn himself in so no one gets hurt.

“David Glenn Hobson is not Houdini and he’s not Whitey Bulger,” March said, referring to the famous escape artist and the notorious Boston mob boss who was on the lam for more than 16 years. “It’s important to point out this is not the manhunt of the century.”

March implored Hobson to turn himself in to end the stress on his family “and the anxiety he is causing the community at large.”

Homes belonging to Hobson’s relatives in in southern Maine have been searched and are being watched closely by law enforcement officials, Noel said. Relatives have been interviewed multiple times, he said.

Hobson’s father was arrested Friday and charged with hindering apprehension after being accused of leaving supplies for Hobson outside his Alfred home. Police say the package included food, water, medical supplies, blankets and clothing. Behind the house, police also found discarded clothing and a receipt showing where Hobson bought a change of clothes and supplies.

Hobson stole a car in Wakefield, N.H., after escaping from jail, police said. The vehicle was found abandoned on a logging road in Alfred, and blood inside added to investigators’ suspicion that Hobson was seriously injured.

“You can clearly consider him desperate by virtue of his own actions — a very concerted effort he undertook to escape from the Carroll County House of Corrections, injuring himself in the process — coupled with his own statements he has intentions to harm others,” March said.

Law enforcement officials won’t say how they learned of Hobson’s threats except to say their concerns are based on statements he has made.

Hobson’s police record dates back to a criminal mischief conviction in 1996. He was sentenced to two days in jail.

Hobson’s brother-in-law Richard Lane said Tuesday that no one in the family wanted to speak to reporters.

Aircraft have been buzzing over Greater Sanford and dozens of heavily armed state troopers, deputy U.S. marshals and members of a violent fugitive task force are searching on the ground.

The U.S. Marshals Service is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to Hobson’s apprehension.